Panel wants to promote Niles’ awards on new plaza sign

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The Nicholas B. Blase Plaza sign at the Niles Civic Center. | File photo

Updated: February 27, 2012 8:33AM

The committee charged with choosing a new name to put on the sign in front of the former Blase Plaza at Niles Village Hall is nearing a decision.

Ethics Board Chairman Rosemary Palicki said the committee decided that it did not want to name the plaza after a particular person, as it had been named after former Mayor Nicholas Blase.

Instead, Palicki said, members want the sign to encompass a pair of awards that the village of Niles has received: the All-American Award it received in the early-1990s and the Bloomberg “Best Place to Raise a Family Award” that it recently received.

“We want it to be a ‘Welcome to Niles,’ ” Palicki said.

The committee’s recommendation will likely go to the village board for approval in March.

Palicki said the committee discussed possibly incorporating the logos of the two awards into the sign, though there is no official logo for the Bloomberg award.

The committee received 22 different suggestions from residents regarding what the new name of the plaza should be.

“Most of the suggestions did not encompass the family theme,” Palicki said.

Palicki said one person suggested naming the plaza after a historic figure; other suggestions included “People’s Plaza” and similar names.

The committee is also considering putting up a piece of artwork that has a family theme.

Palicki said officials are considering having high school students participate in a contest and having the winner’s art work displayed.